Square Word Calligraphy: Bringing in the Wine 

Medium: Ink on paper

Dimension: 186.5 x 98.5 cm x 5 (calligraphy only)

Text: 

See how the Yellow River's waters move out of heaven. 

Entering the ocean,never to return. 

See how lovely locks in bright mirrors in high chambers, 

Though silken-black at morning,have changed by night to snow. 

Oh,let a man of spirit venture where he pleases 

And never tip his golden cup empty toward the moon! 

Since heaven gave the talent,let it be employed! 

Spin a thousand pieces of silver,all of them come back! 

Cook a sheep,kill a cow,whet the appetite, 

And make me,of three hundred bowls,one long drink! 

To the old master,Cen, 

And the young scholar,Danqiu, 

Bring in the wine! 

Let your cups never rest! 

Let me sing you a song! 

Let your ears attend! 

What are bell and drum,rare dishes and treasure? 

Let me be forever drunk and never come to reason! 

Sober men of olden days and sages are forgotten, 

And only the great drinkers are famous for all time. 

Prince Chen paid at a banquet in the Palace of Perfection 

Ten thousand coins for a cask of wine,with many a laugh and quip. 

Why say,my host,that your money is gone? 

Go and buy wine and we'll drink it together! 

My flower-dappled horse, 

My furs worth a thousand, 

Hand them to the boy to exchange for good wine, 

And we'll drown away the woes of ten thousand generations! 

Bringing in the Wine 

Li Bai

Xu Bing

2015

2015

Medium: Clothing label and programming writing

Dimensions of each item: 35.7 x 26.3 x 12 cm

Dimensions of packaging: 41 × 28.5 × 3.5 cm

Exhibition: Museum of Art Pudong, Shanghai, 2021-2022. TOKYO Gallery + BTAP, Beijing, 2021

Starting from 2015, Xu Bing has amassed an extensive collection of clothing brand labels from numerous private enterprises. When brought together, these labels reflect the history of their entrepreneurship, development, bottlenecks, transformations, and acquisitions. Furthermore, we can perceive the brand names as carriers of people’s hopes and aspirations for the future. For this project, a “poem writing software” has been developed. The computer program searches for appropriate words and sentences among fashion label tags to create a Seven-Character Poem which is later compiled into the collection. This process also symbolizes an advancement in the creation of an “artist book.”

Materials: Benches made with salvaged Deer Isle granite,

                Text from a Poem by Li She (c. 806, C.E.),

                Carved in Square Word Calligraphy

Location: Forsyth Plaza, Chinatown, New York, U.S.A.

2015

Materials: Natural debris attached to frosted glass panel

Location: West Bund Art Center, Shanghai, China

"In 2004, I was installing an exhibition at the East Asian Art Museum in Germany. During the Second World War, 90 percent of the collection was moved to the former Soviet Union by the Soviet Red Army. Only some photos of the lost artwork are left. I hope to use the large glass showcases surrounding the existing space to create a new work that combines local history and my cultural background. I saw the potted plants behind the frosted glass wall in the office area of the airport during a connecting flight, which looked like a smudged Chinese painting. At this time, I thought of the large glass cabinets of the museum and the missing art pieces and got the inspiration for Background Story."

- Xu Bing

2015

Materials: Natural debris attached to frosted glass panel, 340 x 1680cm

Location: Three and One Thirds, Kylin Contemporary Center of Art, Beijing, China

In 2004, I was installing an exhibition at the East Asian Art Museum in Germany. During the Second World War, 90 percent of the collection was moved to the former Soviet Union by the Soviet Red Army. Only some photos of the lost artwork are left. I hope to use the large glass showcases surrounding the existing space to create a new work that combines local history and my cultural background. I saw the potted plants behind the frosted glass wall in the office area of the airport during a connecting flight, which looked like a smudged Chinese painting. At this time, I thought of the large glass cabinets of the museum and the missing art pieces and got the inspiration for Background Story.

2015

Materials: Recycled construction materials

Male Phoenix: 31 (L) x 7.2 (W) x 6.3 (H) meter

Female Phoenix: 30 (L) x 8.6 (W) x 4.7 (H) meter

Location: The 56th Venice Biennale, Theme Exhibition, All World's future, Curated by Okwui Enwezor, Arsenale, Venice, Italy